Printing block



Jan. 14, 1941. ACKELL I 2,228,864

' PRINTING BLOCK 1 Filed Aug. 12, 1939 s Sheets-Sheet "1 J. J. Ackll.

wn 47f ATTORNEY J. J. ACKELL PRINTING BLOCK Jan. 14, 1941.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug, 12, 1939 FIG. 3

J. J.ACkell INVENTOR BY I at KW ATTORNEY Jan. 14, 1941. J. J. ACKELL 2,228,864

PRINTING BLOCK inventor EIHIIJIIIIIII ..III.IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII.IHIIImIIIIIIIIIII J,J.Ackell p 4&7

Patented Jan. 14, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT DFFICE.

2,228,864 PRINTING BLooK Application August 12, 1939, Serial No. 289,853

4 Claims.

The object of my invention is to provide financial charts which will show at a glance the range of quotations or averages of a group of representative stocks from day to day, and from which the general trend of the stock market for particular groups of stocks over a considerable period may be readily determined.

It is also an object of my invention to provide novel mechanism for graphically printing or rem cording these averages in the form of printed charts, and for indicating or illustrating their range of change or movement on individual and successive days; and also to indicate the closing average quotation for each day.

I attain these and other objects of my invention by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a plan view of one of the blanks or slugs before it has been cut;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of one of the blanks or slugs after it has been cut to show or print a line indicating graphically the range of movement of the average of quotations of a selected group of stocks for one day;

Fig. 3 is a blank cut to show the position of the average of the particular selected group of stocks at the close of that day;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the low slug used for spacing;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the slug used for spacing and to make ofi the weekly divisions;

Fig. 6 is a section on line 66 of Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 is an end view of one of the bars for holding a series of slugs together;

Fig. 8 is a top plan view partly in horizontal section on line B8 of Fig. '7 through a portion of a series of slugs and of the bars for holding them together;

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of same, partly in vertical section on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8

Fig. 10 is a detail perspective view of two of the slugs showing the range and the close, and of the bars at one end to hold them together, s aid bars being shown partly in vertical section;

Fig. ll is a plan view of a slug which has been punched twice to print a line indicating the average range of movement of a selected group of stocks during a particular day;

Fig. 12 is a plan view of another slug which has been punched to indicate the average closing figure of the group of stocks on the mark for a particular day; and

Fig. 13 is a plan view of one of the charts covering a four-month period and applied to three separate groups of stocks, and also including a graph showing the relative daily volume of the market for the same period.

Like numerals designate like parts in each of the several views.

Referring to Fig. 2, there is illustrated a slug 5 punched to leave a linear projection 20 of suitable length to indicate the range of stock quotation averages for one day, the portion designated as H) being the edge portion of the slug adjacent that which has been cut away. 10

Fig. 3 illustrates another slug which is punched to leave only the projection 2! which indicates the average closing quotation of the selected group of stocks at the close of the day in the market. 15

Fig. 4 shows a low slug l5a which is used for spacing.

Figs. 5 and 6 show a slug with lateral projections 22. This slug is used as a spacer as well as to mark off weekly divisions. 20 Figs. 7-10 illustrate the forms in which the slugs are mounted and which include steel bars 23 spaced apart at opposite sides of the chart, as finally printed. The steel bars 23 bear parallel spaced numerical markings indicating price quotations, such as 130, 140, 150, 160," etc. The bars 23 have cylindrical apertures 2'5, as shown in Figs. 8, 9, and 10. Adjacent to bars 23 and positioned within are inner bars 26 which bear graduated markings 21, of which there are so five between each of the numerals on bars 23, as shown. Bars 26 have a cylindrical slot 28 of smaller diameter than the cylindrical slots 25 in bars 23, but concentric therewith. Bars 23 are held in fixed relation to bars 26 by the screws 3 29. A steel bar 30 runs through the circular en- 4 largements H] of central slots I! of the slugs which are used to print the chart. This bar 30 has end portions 3! of reduced diameter and terminates in the annularly enlarged portions 32 0 at each end, corresponding'in diameter with the main body of the bar 36 and of larger diameter than the cylindrical slots in inner bars 26, whereby the latter limit the slidable movement of bar 30. 45

Figure 11 shows a slug with recesses 33 and 34 produced by the punch 52 and leaving a linear edge portion 2i! which illustrates the range of stock qrntations for that day, which was from to 156. The portions 36 are portions re-jfl maining on the slug above the edge iii where the slug has been cut away by the punch and these projections 35 and .36 are subsequently removed or cut away Ito leave only the projection .2? upstanding. This" element 28 functions 5} to print on the chart a line graphically indicating the range of movement of the average of stock market quotations for the particular list of stocks selected covering one day of market operations.

Fig. 12 indicates another slug on which the punch has been operated once toform the projection 2| which indicates the closing average quotations on the selected list of stocks for one particular day, the remaining edge portion of the slug above the dotted line and above the level of the edge l9 then being cut away in alignment with edges 19 to leave only the point 2| projecting and which functions to print on the chart a designation of the closing figures of the market quotations for one day.

Fig. 13 illustrates a chart as printed by my device. The series of opposite spaced or intermittent numerals 39 on each side of the chart designate the possible range of movement of one type of stock during a definite period of time. Associated with these numerals on each side of the sheet are intermediate adjacent markings 40 which facilitate reading of the chart. Near the top of the chart are spaced numerals designating the dates of the first business days of succesive weeks for a definite period of time. The particular chart illustrated covers a period of three months and a fraction. The guide markings 42 at the top and bottom of the sheet are associated with the numerals 4| to aid the eye in reading the chart. The lines 43 illustrate the range of movement of stock quotations for one day, while the offset mark or point 44 at the right of line 43 designates the closing figure of stock market quotations of the selected group of stocks for the particular day. 45 designates the indicia or guide to the chart explanatory of the line 43 and offset mark 44.

Stocks are designated by general class groups such as Industrials, Railroads and Utilities, and these general titles are designated by the numeral 46. At the bottom of the chart is a graph 41 showing the relative daily volume of trading in stocks of all groups day by day for the same period as covered by the chart, this difference in volume being illustrated by a difference in length of the lines.

Figures '7, 8, 9 and 10 show the manner in which the chart is put together, as well as the means for loosely coupling to permit a quick handling of the slugs and justification in the page form.

The key-hole slots in the slugs permit the easy removal of slugs at either end of the chart while those in the center are unable to come 01f. It would be extremely dangerous to handle a chart with separable slugs without some means of holding them in place, as it might take hours to reassemble should the form be pied and there would be no hand drawn chart available for immediate reproductions by photo-engraving.

It is also possible to shift the slugs to accommodate a change in range by punching the dotted key-hole slots as indicated in Figs. 1 to 5. In other words, should the averages go below the 130 or above the 170 shown on these drawings, the scales would be changed and the slots cut in the dotted section, so that it would not be necessary to re-cut the entire chart.

What I claim is:

1. In mechanism for printing financial average charts of the type described, the combination of a pair of end bars each bearing like spaced numerals in multiples of 10 covering a range of possible stock quotations, each of said bars having a similarly positioned aperture, in ner bars afiixed to the respective outer bars bearing graduated scale markings coordinated with the numerals of the outer bars, said inner bars havingslots similarly positioned but of smaller width than the apertures in the outer bars, a steel bar having end portions of reduced size, said end portions substantially corresponding With the width of the slots in the inner bars but loosely mounted therein, flanges in which said reduced ends terminate and functioning as stop members on contact with the inner bars to permit a limited sliding movement of the transversely disposed bar, a series of slugs slidably mounted on the transversely disposed bar and arranged to print in pairs, one of said slugs bearing a projection of suitable length to print a line on the chart defining the range of stock quotations for the one day which that slug represents, a second slug bearing a projection suitably positioned to print a dot at a point that will indicate the closing of the average market quotations for the same day as the slug bearing the projecting line with which it is associated, and a third slug functioning only as a spacing element between the aforesaid slugs and the next pair of printing slugs.

2. In mechanism for printing financial average charts of the type described, the combination of a pair of end bars each bearing like spaced numerals in multiples of 10 covering the range of possible stock quotations, each of said bars having a similarly positioned circular aperture, inner bars affixed to the respective outer bars bearing graduated scale markings coordinated with the numerals of the outer bars, said inner bars having slots the inner ends of which are similarly positioned but which are of less width at the inner end than the apertures in the outer bars, a cylindrical transversely disposed steel bar having end portions of reduced diameter, said end portions substantially corresponding with the width of the slots in the inner bars but loosely mounted therein, flanges in which said reduced ends terminate and functioning as stop members on contact with the inner bars to permit a limited sliding movement of the cylindrical transversely disposed bar, a series of slugs slidably mounted on the cylindrical transversely disposed bar and arranged to print in pairs, one of said slugs bearing a projection of suitable length to print a line on the chart defining the range of stock quotations for the one day which that slug represents, a second slug bearing a projection suitably positioned to print a dot at the point that will indicate the closing of the average market quotations for the same day as the slug bearing the projecting line with which it is associated, and a third slug functioning only as a spacing element between the aforesaid slugs and the next pair of printing slugs.

3. In mechanism for printing financial average charts of the type described, the combination of a pair of end bars each bearing like spaced numerals in multiples of 10 covering the range of possible stock quotations, each of said bars having similarly positioned circular apertures, inner bars affixed to the respective outer bars hearing graduated scale markings coordinated with the numerals of the outer bars, said inner bars having slots similarly positioned corresponding but of smaller diameter than the apertures in the outer bars, a cylindrical transversely disposed steel bar having end portions of reduced diameter, said end portions substantially corresponding with the width of the slots in the inner bars but loosely mounted therein, flanges in which said reduced ends terminate and functioning as stop members on contact with the inner bars to permit a limited sliding movement of the cylindrical transversely disposed bar, a series of slugs slidably mounted on the cylindrical transversely disposed bar and arranged to print in pairs, one of said slugs bearing a projection of suitable length to print a line on the chart defining the range of stock quotations for the one day which that slug represents, a second slug bearing a projection suitably positioned to print a dot at the point that will indicate the closing of the average market quotations for the same day as the slug bearing the projecting line with which it is assoelated, a third slug functioning only as a spacing element between the aforesaid slugs and the next pair of printing slugs, each of the slugs having a central slot extending up from its bottom portion of slightly greater diameter than the reduced ends of the cylindrical bar and having a circular enlarged portion of suitable size to slidably engage the main body of the cylindrical bar, whereby the slugs can be removed from the cylindrical bar only when moved to the reduced end portions thereof.

4. In combination with the mechanism defined in claim 3, the aforesaid slugs each having a slot extending upward from the bottom edge thereof, the said slot having its uppermost portion enlarged.

JOSEPH J. ACKE-LL. 

